Biographical Note

Carlos Eduardo do Rego da Costa Salema, Emeritus Full Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) and Emeritus Doctor of the Technical University of Lisbon, was born in 1942 in Ponta Delgada, Azores. He graduated in Electrical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in 1965 and obtained his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of London (Queen Mary College) in 1972. He was a faculty member at IST, in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, between 1965 and 2003, where he taught courses in the field of telecommunications, particularly microwave radio links. He was an exceptional teacher whose influence marked several generations of students and inspired many to pursue careers in telecommunications. He supervised numerous PhD and MSc theses. He carried out research in the field of microwaves and electromagnetic radiation applied to telecommunications, publishing dozens of scientific articles and six books. He was also actively involved in studies with societal impact commissioned by the State, notably the telecommunications network project for Timor-Leste in 2001, and the study on corrective measures for the national emergency communications network following the 2017 forest fires in Portugal.

Alongside his academic and scientific career, he made an indelible contribution to creating the conditions for scientific development both at IST and in Portugal. He served as President of the Board of the Computer Center of Instituto Superior Técnico (1983–1985). In 1989, he was appointed President of JNICT, where he led the CIÊNCIA and STRIDE programmes, which paved the way for the modernization of science in Portugal through the funding of research and development infrastructures, advanced training of MSc and PhD graduates, and the internationalization of scientific research. Several leading research institutions in Portugal emerged from these programmes.

He also served as President of the College of Electrical Engineering of the Order of Engineers (2002), President of the Executive Board of the Foundation for National Scientific Computing, a member of the General Council of the University of Beira Interior, and President of the Academy of Sciences during the 2019–2021 term.

He was the driving force behind the creation of the Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), of which he served as President from 1993 to 2023. Under his leadership, IT became one of the leading research institutions in the field of communications and information technologies. With a team of around 300 PhD holders, approximately 1,200 R&D projects, about 4,500 MSc dissertations, and around 800 PhD theses, IT has, over its 34 years, contributed to the advanced qualification of the workforce in communications and information technologies and to the advancement of science and technology transfer in Portugal.

Professor Carlos Salema’s exceptional contribution to science in Portugal was recognized with several distinctions: Emeritus Doctor of the Technical University of Lisbon (2011); Scientific Merit Medal from the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (2021); Emeritus Professor of the Polytechnic of Leiria (2023); Doctor honoris causa from the University of Beira Interior (2014); and Doctor honoris causa from ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon (2025).

Above all, Professor Carlos Salema stood out for his integrity, the deep respect he showed to everyone, his constant availability, and a truly contagious enthusiasm and energy. He demonstrated a genuine interest in personally understanding the work of each collaborator and in fostering connections and conditions that supported both individual and institutional development.